Broncos hold on for NRL win over Cowboys17 Mar 2018Brisbane have held on for a 24-20 NRL victory over North Queensland at Suncorp Stadium, with Scott Bolton denied a late match-winning try by a goalpost.

Heart-stopping finishes are nothing new in matches between Brisbane and North Queensland but Wayne Bennett admitted he had never seen anything like the bizarre play that helped seal the Broncos' 24-20 win over the Cowboys at Suncorp Stadium on Friday.

The Cowboys appeared to have at least sent yet another derby into extra-time when reserve prop Scott Bolton was tryline-bound with 90 seconds left.

The hulking forward snapped up a loose Johnathan Thurston pass in the dying moments and crashed past defenders before ricocheting off the right upright and losing the ball.

Bennett summed it up best.

"We were due some luck," he deadpanned.

"There is no other club in any sport in this country who would have pulled together in the last couple of weeks after all the adversity that we have been through," he said.

"That's what I am most proud of. You will never divide us guys, so stay out of it," a defiant Bennett said.

Written off after their first round thumping by St George Illawarra, Brisbane's fortunes did not look to have changed early when the Cowboys jumped to an 8-0 lead after as many minutes and centre Jordan Kahu went down with a broken jaw.

But maligned five-eighth Anthony Milford rediscovered his running game as an under-fire Broncos pack led by Tevita Pangai stood tall to help the hosts seal a stirring four tries to three win in front of 46,080.

Six of the last nine games between the two have been decided by six points or less, with four of the last six going into extra-time

This was another nail biting finish when the Cowboys fought back from an 18-8 halftime deficit to cut it to 24-20 when hooker Jake Granville pounced on a loose Thurston pass to score in the 71st minute.

And Bolton looked to have snatched a last gasp win before fate stepped in.

Cowboys coach Paul Green could at least see the funny side.

"I hope the post is alright," he said.

The Cowboys' monster pack dominated early but the Broncos had a spring in their step after Kahu regathered a short Brisbane in-goal drop out.

Brisbane did not lose momentum despite losing Kahu in the 17th minute after a collision with Te Maire Martin, with Pangai monstering over a minute later to score.

The rest of the first half was one-way traffic as Brisbane scored a total of three tries in nine minutes.

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Last Game: The Broncos won against the North Queensland Cowboys 38 - 12 at ANZ Stadium, Australia (5427 days ago)
game results here